Shloka 15
Bhīma–Draupadī Saṃvāda on Restraint, Protection, and the Kīcaka Threat
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 20
वर्णावकाशमपि मे पश्य पाण्डव यादृशम् । तादृशो मे न तत्रासीद् दु:खे परमके तदा
varṇāvakāśam api me paśya pāṇḍava yādṛśam | tādṛśo me na tatrāsīd duḥkhe paramake tadā
قال فايشَمبايانا: «يا ابنَ باندو، انظر حتى إلى مقدار ما أملكه الآن من فسحةٍ للكلام والفعل. في ذلك الزمن، زمنِ الشدّة القصوى، لم تكن لي مثل هذه الحرية ولا مثل هذه الفرصة.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how severe adversity can strip a person of ordinary freedom—of speech, choice, and initiative—inviting reflection on patience and endurance when circumstances leave little ‘room’ to act.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses a Pāṇḍava and contrasts the present ability to speak or act with an earlier period of intense distress, stating that in that earlier crisis he had no such opportunity or latitude.